1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of synchronizing databases of a plurality of centralized monitoring devices and a system of synchronizing databases of a plurality of centralized monitoring devices, in which the method and system comprise: a communications device; a first centralized monitoring device and second centralized monitoring device for monitoring the communications device; and a network to which these devices are connected, and in which each of the centralized monitoring device accommodates a database.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional art, there is known a communications system comprised of a communications device (hereinafter “NE” (network element) units); a plurality of centralized monitoring devices (hereinafter “OPS” (operating systems) units) for monitoring the NE; and a network to which these are connected, in which each OPS accommodates a database.
In the same system, the data recorded in the database managed by an OPS is comprised chiefly of physical data inside the NE and logical data inside the OPS. The physical data inside the NE is comprised of data inside the NE such as settings for the operations of the communications device. The logical data inside the OPS is comprised of data such as path management data and comments.
The physical data inside the NE is altered by means of controls from the OPS. The data inside the OPS is altered by the altering operation from the OPS. The logical data inside the OPS is altered by means of controls performed on the NE, and is also altered by closed manipulations inside the OPS.
The following methods are known for synchronization (also referred to as “matching”) of the databases of each OPS in communications system described above:
(1) A method in which a master OPS is determined and the other OPS units make inquiries to the master OPS regarding altered information in the database at regular intervals. Alternatively, a method in which the master OPS communicates altered information to the other OPS units.
(2) A method in which a master is not determined, and an OPS in which a database alteration has occurred performs a notification to the other OPS units indicating that there was an alteration.
(3) A method in which for the purpose of synchronizing the physical data inside the NE, when the physical data held by the NE is altered, this altered information is sent as an NE data alteration notification to the OPS being monitored by that NE (i.e., to the OPS to which that NE is linked to), and the OPS which received the NE data alteration notification modifies its own database in accordance with the content of the notification.
The following problems exist with the conventional technologies for synchronizing the two types of data managed by the OPS (i.e., the physical data inside the NE and the logical data inside the OPS).
According to the methods (1) and (2) described above, in order to perform the communication between the OPS units, it is necessary for each OPS to posses and manage the network addresses of the other OPS units included in the network. Therefore, there is the problem in that in the case where a new OPS is added to the network (or in the case where the OPS address changes due to an OPS unit being moved or to a modification having been made to the structure of the network), it becomes necessary to perform a procedure (of operations such as rebooting, for example) to register the newly added (or altered) OPS address in all of the existing OPS units, and large numbers of personnel and many work hours are necessary to for this registration, and also, it is difficult to perform the addition of the new OPS or the modifications to the structure of the network. As the OPS units included in the communications system (i.e., the network) increase, this problem becomes more conspicuous.
Note that according to the method (3) described above, for the physical data inside the NE it is possible for each OPS to modify its own database based on the NE data alteration notifications sent from the NE units; therefore, it is possible to achieve the synchronization (i.e., “matching”) of the databases of the respective OPS units.
However, alterations of the logical data inside the OPS are performed by means of close manipulations inside the OPS. Accordingly, in order to achieve synchronization of the databases of the OPS units, it is necessary to obtain the data that was altered by means of the database alteration, and then have an operator perform such procedures inputting this altered data into the other OPS units by hand, for example.
Therefore, there exists the problem in that in the case where the database inside the OPS (i.e., the logical data inside the OPS) is changed by means of closed operations inside the OPS, large numbers of personnel and many work hours are necessary for such procedures as performing manual inputs. As the number of OPS units included in the communications system (i.e., the network) increases, this problem becomes more conspicuous.
Further, there is a problem in that in such a case where the communication between the OPS and the NE is severed, or where the OPS reboots, it is not possible to establish synchronization (“matching”) between the OPS units even though such may be necessary at that time.
Further, in the case where a new OPS is added to the network, it is necessary to register the NE units in the new OPS by hand; therefore, there is a problem in that large number of personnel and many work hours are necessary to perform this registration. This problem becomes more conspicuous as the number of NE units included in the communications system (i.e., the network) increases.
A first objective of the present invention is to achieve synchronization (or matching) of databases of OPS units (including physical data inside an NE and logical data inside the OPS units, for example) in a communications system which includes a communications device and a plurality of monitoring devices for monitoring the communications device, and in which each of the monitoring devices accommodates a database, without each of the OPS units storing and managing the network addresses of the other OPS units included in the communications system (i.e., the network)
A second objective of the present invention is to achieve synchronization (or matching) of the databases of the OPS units (i.e., chiefly the logical data inside the OPS) in the case where a database (i.e., chiefly the logical data inside the OPS) is altered due to a closed operation inside the OPS (i.e., due to an operation which does not include performing of controls on the NE), without performing such procedures as manual input, for example.
A third objective of the present invention is to achieve synchronization (i.e., matching) with the most recent of the databases managed by the other OPS units when necessary with the least possible amount of work, such as in the case where the communication between the OPS and the NE is severed or where the OPS is rebooted.
A fourth objective of the present invention is to register a new OPS in the NE by the least possible amount of work in the case where the new OPS is added to the network.